Photos by Ralph Freso / Slideshow
EDITOR'S NOTE: This is the second story in the "Behind the Curtain" series, a behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to bring a theatre production to the stage, from auditions to opening night.
Scissors snap, sewing machine ticks, thread flicks in the air.
It’s crunch time in Grand Canyon University’s costume shop as costume designer Nola Yergen and costume shop student workers prepare more than 70 costumes for Ethington’s major musical production, “Beauty and the Beast.”
“More pins, I need to get more pins for this headpiece,” said Yergen while trying to attach a piece of foam padding around a mannequin head to create a costume headpiece.
With auditions wrapping up in September and the musical opening in November, the two-month preparation timeline meant all hands on deck for theatre staff, faculty and cast.
“The planning process has been a mix of knowing what the end result is going to look like, but also thinking how we are going to get from point A to point B,” said Yergen.
“Normally for a show I wouldn’t look at any other productions of it, I want to read the script and then come up with my own ideas, but this is Disney’s ‘Beauty and the Beast,’ so we are definitely being inspired by that show while incorporating our own vision.”
To recreate the signature looks of characters such as Belle’s iconic yellow dress, Beast’s unruly mane, Lumiere’s candle hands and Cogsworth’s clock-shaped body, it took a lot of comparing images of animated play versions, live action movies and Broadway productions.
For Yergen, the first step was to assess and see what materials and old costumes were hiding in storage already that could be reused and altered to fit the show.
While some pieces took a few hours, some required days and even weeks to be completed.
“You can’t do a lot of designing until the cast list is set because everyone has specific measurements,” said Yergen. “The plan is to get as many costumes on bodies as possible and work from there.”
Between classes, extracurriculars and rehearsals, students consistently joined Yergen and play director and costume shop manager Cynthia Calhoun in the costume shop to work on costumes.
“As soon as I got cast, I asked if I am allowed to work on my own dress,” said senior Jessica Mangels, who portrays Belle in the musical. “I was so excited to be a costume shop worker for this show because I knew the costumes would be really cool.”
When the Disney musical production was announced and the opportunity arose to create costumes that resembled magic and fantasy, Mangels saw it as a chance to not only grow as an actor, but to further develop her sewing skills while working with new styles and materials.
To prepare for a show where furniture, appliances and decorations come to life, Calhoun and Yergen had to think outside the box to create unique designs that will bring that childhood magic to Ethington’s stage.
“I brought my drawings to Yergen and said I was struggling with what material to use to create Lumiere’s headpiece and she easily said a pool noodle,” said junior makeup and hair designer Cora Epton.
Slices of pool noodles, glued together and covered in gold and yellow paint, created the perfect melted-wax headpiece look for character Lumiere portrayed by freshman Carter Giannetti.
In addition, sophomore Luke Lundberg, playing the role of Beast, shows off a mane compiled of braided black and brown leather straps, also glued on top of pool noodles.
While some of the magic was unfolding in the costume shop, Assistant Dean of Theatre and Dance William Symington was simultaneously making the rest of the magic unfold on Ethington stage, designing and building scenery sets.
“The stage is a literal beast to move around.” Symington said. “Design challenges for the show are so many scenes where I can’t just fly something out or make it roll off into a big space left or right. I had to think about how to get from scene to scene.”
The musical production features roughly 23 distinct scenes and locations that tell the overall story, including Belle’s interior and exterior home, town square, the woods, various parts of Beast’s castle, and more.
With close to 50 cast members moving on and off the stage and very little backstage space, Symington has had to design all large scenery in parts that can be deconstructed. The castle features eight individual pieces all held together by clamps and placed on wheels for quick removal.
“Our students call it playing Tetris, making everything fit. It’s like an organized mayhem back there,” said Symington.
To give students enough space to put on their makeup and fix hairstyles, Symington and Calhoun detached doors from original dressing rooms to make one big space and erected two tents outside to hold costumes.
While some of the cast is backstage waiting for their next scene, they are organizing props and sets in order of use, ensuring scene transitions are as smooth and quick as possible.
Rather than incorporating more large pieces and reducing stage space further, cast and crew are relying on objects and decorative items to suggest different rooms where specific scenes unfold.
Two big rolling windows with curtains, a vanity and a bed to the right of the stage become Belle’s bedroom, whereas two chairs in the middle of stage with a bookshelf represent a library.
“This show is huge, a lot of the objects are big and there are so many moving parts,” said Reese Tate, who plays Mrs. Potts. “But this show has really brought in a lot of people who have never been on Ethington's stage, and it has been one of the most communitive and put-together casts because of all the hard work and love we have for each other.”
GCU staff writer Izabela Fogarasi can be reached at [email protected]
IF YOU GO
What: "Beauty and the Beast"
Where: Ethington Theatre, Grand Canyon University
When: 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday
Tickets: Click here.
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